Cocaine case: Chennai police grill actor Krishna

CHENNAI: Two days after the arrest of actor Srikanth for alleged cocaine consumption and links with drug peddlers, the city police have detained actor Krishna, brother of renowned director Vishnuvardhan, for questioning in the case.

Krishna who began his career as a child actor has played the lead in a few Tamil films such as Kazhugu (2012), Pandigai (2017) among others.

Krishna was under the police radar after Srikanth was picked up for questioning on Monday. Srikanth has been remanded in judicial custody till July 7.

Police said it was their investigation and arrests in a pub brawl in Nungambakkam a month ago that unravelled a criminal network with tentacles in the drug trade, job racket, land grab, and other criminal activities.

Police said that expelled AIADMK IT functionary, T Prasad, who was the main accused in the pub brawl case, had supplied actor Srikanth with cocaine.

Prasad was also identified as the middleman who procured cocaine from peddlers Pradeep (38) and Ghana-native John and sold it to his contacts, like Srikanth, in Chennai. Police are probing whether Krishna had links with Prasad.

Both Pradeep and John were arrested by the Chennai police last week, and 11 gm cocaine was seized from them.

Apart from supplying cocaine, the AIADMK functionary is already booked by the Chennai police for orchestrating a job racket in which he had amassed several lakhs from at least 200 people promising them jobs in government departments like TNPSC, Greater Chennai Corporation, Railways, Water Board and Income Tax. An armed reserve constable from Madurai who assisted Prasad in the job racket was also arrested by the police.